Dominick Cruz vs. Urijah Faber 3
The fight was for the UFC bantamweight championship with Dominick Cruz defending. The first round began. Cruz moving already. He's limping visibly. Crowd chants Faber. Cruz gets a double. Half-guard. Butterfly guard. 4:00. Faber scrambles to his feet, Cruz keeps the waist cinch in a scramble. Cruz knees the leg twice. Faber knees the body. Faber lands a right elbow. Cruz gets a signle, they scrmable, Faber stands and eats a big counter right. 3:00. Cruz lands a body kick. Cruz knees the body, Faber works for a double, lifts him and slams him, Cruz scrambles on top, north-south. Faber stands holding the angle, lands a punch, clinch. Faber works for an odd guillotine, loses it, stuffs a single and they break, under 2:00 now but not by much. Good pace so far. Faber lands a right, eats a counter one. Blood udner Cruz's left eye. He lands an inside kick. Crowd chants Faber. 1:00. Faber stuffs a single. 35. Faber slips some combos after eating a jab, eats a left hook. Cruz lands a counter right. 15. Crowd chants Faber. 'Let's go Faber.' 10-9 Cruz. "Even if he takes you down you won every exchange," they tell Faber. "Kick the leg. Work the body," they tell him. R2 began. Cruz breathing heavy. Cruz drops Faber with a big left, pounces to half-guard and eats an upkick, holy fuck. Faber turtles up, stands and avoids a guillotine, they break. Faber wobbling still, backpedaling. 4:00. Faber ducks a high kick trying a single, eats a big left as they stand. Cruz lands a leg kick. Crowd chants Faber. Cruz lands a double jab. And a leg kick. Faber looks recovered. Cruz lands a big left and a jab or two. 3:00. Cruz lands a leg kick, that hurt. Crowd chants let's go Faber. Cruz lands a jab. 2:00. Cruz lands a jab. Cruz lands a leg kick. "He's running! Keep running Faber!" Faber lands a left. Cruz lands a leg kick. "Walk him down!" Cruz landss a counter right. 1:00. Crowd chants Faber but with less aplumb. "Cut off the ring!" 35. Cruz lands a left, Faber lands a counter right. 15. Cruz lands a jab. R2 ends, 10-9 Cruz for sure. "Cut him off and let's go forward this round tiger style, chin down hands up!" they tell Cruz. R3 began. Cruz hurts him with a leg kick. He lands a jab. Faber lands a counter right and eats a right. 4:00. Cruz tries a flying knee. Cruz lands a leg kick and a counter right. I love his feints. They're on another level. 3:00. "Urijah just doesn't know when to pull the trigger." Cruz lands a left to the body. Faber lands a counter right, eats a harder counter left. Cruz lands an inside kick, tries a high kick. 2:00. 1:00. Faber stuffs a double. He stuffs another after a bit. 15. Faber stuffs a single. R3 ends and they have a tense little staredown before going back to their corners, 10-9 Cruz, I think Faber needs a finish. R4 began. Crowd chants let's go Faber. Cruz lands a jab. He lands a leg kick and stuffs a double. Faber lands a right. 4:00. Cruz lands a jab. And another. 3:00. His head movement is excellent. Cruz lands a right. Cruz lands a right and another, drops him with a left, two rights under and a high kick, backs off. 2:00. Cruz tries a flying knee. Cruz lands a jab and a right, good one-two. 1:00. Cruz lands a right. 35. Faber lands a counter right. 15. R4 ends, 10-9 Cruz. "You want him out of there? Calm the fuck down, you're trying too hard to take his fucking head off," the corner tells an anxious Cruz. "Let's dig deep, push this round, he's gonna try to dance this round away Faber. Cut him off, bring the fight to him Faber." R5 began. Cruz lands a body kick. Cruz lands a left uppercut and a right and a blocked high kick. Faber lands a right hand. 4:00. Faber lands a right. Cruz lands a counter. He lands a right and a left. 3:00. Faber lands a right. Cruz throws him down and gets his back. Faber stands to the waist cinch. 2:00. Cruz breaks with a blocked high kick. Faber stuffs a single and eats an uppercut. Cruz gets a single and passes beautifully to side control. Faber regains half-guard. Cruz gets the back as they stand, they clinch. 1:00. Faber works a standing guillotine, breaks with a missed left elbow. 35. 15. Cruz lands a left uppercut. Faber yells come on. R5 ends, they shake hands and hug, 10-9 Cruz. 50-45 Cruz. One 49-46 but UD. Faber applauds. "He's been a champion before and I wasn't surprised by his toughness." "I thought I lost this sport at one point." Faber gives Cruz props. "He's a heavy hitter, not as heavy as Cody No-Love but he hits hard and I can't say anything. He got the best of me tonight." Faber said he'd have to give retirement a thought. Rogan thanks him for an amazing career. Faber says "Congrats again to Cruz, what an incredible performance."